What is Coaching?

Happy Friday and welcome to the first edition of Coach-Like Questions & Cocktails, formerly Lisa's Leadership Minute. This year I will focus?on demystifying the concepts of coaching while sharing some of my favorite Friday drinks.

Who knew cocktails could be such a great metaphor for explaining coaching concepts? I show you how with this twice-a-month short article.

Each article will include:

• ?The answer to a common question I get about coaching and how it relates to some?well known and not so well known cocktails.
• ??A recipe card for the cocktail and the coaching concept.
• ??A short video of me explaining how to make the cocktail.

My goal for each Coach-Like Questions & Cocktails is to provide an entertaining and informative spin on the fundamentals of coaching.

So let's get to it ...

Have you ever struggled with explaining what coaching is or what a coach actually does? It may sound easy at first, but when you begin to think about all the different things a coach is responsible for, it can be very tough to get across quickly and simply. I remember when I first started to learn about coaching?20+ years ago I struggled to come up with a clear definition for what I was attempting to do.?

That's why I'm answering the question: What is coaching??

When you remove all the clutter from the day-to-day interactions a coach has, you can boil down what they truly do into a very simple recipe, just like a Lemon Martini.

Download my Lemon Martini/What is Coaching? recipe card HERE

The great thing about this drink is how its simplicity perfectly relates to how I see the coaching process. Just like how this martini is mostly vodka with only a splash of limoncello or lemon, coaching and its primary focus needs to be on the person you are speaking with, not you.

Your role as a coach is to help your coachee see that the solution to the issue they are attempting to solve lies within themselves. They have the power to make the changes they want to see in their lives.

You are the catalyst that helps them see what they need to see.?

In essence, coaches are the limoncello inside the Lemon?Martini. You are not what makes up the majority of the drink, but you do make it come alive. Without the limoncello, there is no lemon martini. And without a coach, the coachee may never find that inner solution they are looking for.?

Now that you know what coaching is, I want to leave you with a question to ponder:?Do you think coaching is going to be an important leadership skill now and in the future? Why or why not??

If you want to learn how to make this drink, check out the video linked below.

Thanks for being here and until next time ... remember to always drink and coach responsibly,

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